Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
Sidetracked conveniently five steps from the mainline
Fresh off a grain porch drinking swill
Down from picking up in maine
Counting change
"oh how I, I would do anything for that old junktrain to turn manifest
And highball, yeah I'd sing that railroad song by the time the sun is setting
In the west"
No time or purpose as embers smolder
Holed up in pines of green
Pablo writes "dos" where mouths don't share what their eyes have seen
"see those days are gone and I can't stand one more
I've fought this war counting miles alone
I've seen it all, every goddamn state
Out here son it's as rough as I have known"
All I have known with sky above as home
And ground beneath as bed is to ride fast
Live slow and without regret
"I've got no time for regret
Those thoughts solve nothing in the end
I've got blistered hands
And lived full through rejection
Long endured
'cause I came up poor
"hell no I, I wouldn't change a thing, those old junktrains all turn manifest
And highball, yeah I'll sing that railroad song by the time
The sun is setting in the west"
[words derived from conversations with "old bill", a railroad bum,
At the acca train yard on a cold, drunk December afternoon]
Fresh off a grain porch drinking swill
Down from picking up in maine
Counting change
"oh how I, I would do anything for that old junktrain to turn manifest
And highball, yeah I'd sing that railroad song by the time the sun is setting
In the west"
No time or purpose as embers smolder
Holed up in pines of green
Pablo writes "dos" where mouths don't share what their eyes have seen
"see those days are gone and I can't stand one more
I've fought this war counting miles alone
I've seen it all, every goddamn state
Out here son it's as rough as I have known"
All I have known with sky above as home
And ground beneath as bed is to ride fast
Live slow and without regret
"I've got no time for regret
Those thoughts solve nothing in the end
I've got blistered hands
And lived full through rejection
Long endured
'cause I came up poor
"hell no I, I wouldn't change a thing, those old junktrains all turn manifest
And highball, yeah I'll sing that railroad song by the time
The sun is setting in the west"
[words derived from conversations with "old bill", a railroad bum,
At the acca train yard on a cold, drunk December afternoon]
Lyrics submitted by skacore_dude
West Wye Lyrics as written by
Lyrics © TERRORBIRD PUBLISHING LLC
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Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Magical
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Plastic Bag
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Plastic Bag” is a song about searching for an escape from personal problems and hoping to find it in the lively atmosphere of a Saturday night party. Ed Sheeran tells the story of his friend and the myriad of troubles he is going through. Unable to find any solutions, this friend seeks a last resort in a party and the vanity that comes with it.
“I overthink and have trouble sleepin’ / All purpose gone and don’t have a reason / And there’s no doctor to stop this bleedin’ / So I left home and jumped in the deep end,” Ed Sheeran sings in verse one. He continues by adding that this person is feeling the weight of having disappointed his father and doesn’t have any friends to rely on in this difficult moment. In the second verse, Ed sings about the role of grief in his friend’s plight and his dwindling faith in prayer. “Saturday night is givin’ me a reason to rely on the strobe lights / The lifeline of a promise in a shot glass, and I’ll take that / If you’re givin’ out love from a plastic bag,” Ed sings on the chorus, as his friend turns to new vices in hopes of feeling better.
This is just a hard core, post-punk, crusty take on "big rock candy mountain"
off on a rail siding from the main line
Just got off the platform on a type of rail car called a "grainer" (for transporting grain) and drinking cheap beer.
Picking berries in Maine, a seasonal job for migrants.
pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters.
A "junker" is a train with the lowest priority. "manafest" has the highest.
A high ball is a railroad signal, a raised ball signifying it's ok to go ahead.
Basically, camping in the woods
Fred actually talked about this in an interview, reading the graffiti under a bridge in Spanish. He said it said not to stand under the bridge as it's federal property, instead to stand waiting for the train at another location near by.
The video for this song has the camera zoom into the graffiti "Dirty Old South", so that's what D.O.S. means.
(There's not really much more in this song to puzzle out)